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So, let's dive deep into the Rockets. The team has won 6 consecutive games, finally injuries and Covid has given us respite and Silas' work begins to take shape. The team will probably change again between now and the deadline but the core is now formed = Wood - DiPo - Wall.
The rotation, when all healthy, is at 10 men. McLemore (probable trade) and Jones (sad) are not part of it.
Silas wants men of energy off the bench (Nwaba, Brown) and the move to include Tate in a quintet with House off the bench has proved successful.
Silas wants men of energy off the bench (Nwaba, Brown) and the move to include Tate in a quintet with House off the bench has proved successful.
The starting five of the Rockets have 102.5 of ORTG and 100 of DRTG in the last 10 games, or from the Harden trade. Wall and Oladipo have yet to find a way to coexist in the halfcourt offense, an understanding that already seems to be in transition.
In fact, Silas' way of playing pushes to play at a high pace: Houston is 3rd for PACE (102.5, only GSW and Wizards do better) in the league from the Harden trade. In addition, the Rockets are 9th for possessions in transition (19), from which they get 21.1 points (8th).
In general, the Rockets' offense still has to find that much-talked-about ball movement (21th for AST in the last 10 games): not having big threats from the perimeter, in my opinion, contributes to this problem.
But the real novelty of the new Rockets is defense. Houston (again in the last 10 games) is the league's best defense, DRTG's 102.6. Even more surprising is the fact that the Rockets are 6th in rebounds per game in the same time frame (46.4).
Finally Wood, aided by a great perimeter defense, proved to be a good rim protector and not even a bad defender on PnR. The Rockets concede 43.8 points in the area, a figure which confirms the good defense of the painted by Silas' C.
In RA the Rockets concede 59.7%, 7th best figure in the league. How long will this last in the long run? I don't know, because we must not forget that in these 10 games the Rockets have faced teams with either injuries / Covid (Blazers, Wizards, Mavs) or lower level (Pistons).
I'm curious to see the team against the contenders. Just as I preached patience when everyone was talking about Rockets ready to tank, so now I stay with my feet on the ground, waiting to measure Houston's value in even more difficult challenges.
